Maybe it’s because one of my best friends just got engaged. Maybe it’s because one of my favorite photo-friends got married a couple weeks ago. Maybe it’s because New Year’s Eve is just around the corner and that holiday ALWAYS makes me feel like crap. Lately? I’ve been feeling VERY single, and not so quirkyalone.
Just thought I’d throw that out there.
PS. I’ve moved to wordpress, standby for a new layout!
Sometimes it is easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas. The busy traditions of the season and the appealing advertisements for material goods can leave the pure and simple truths far, far behind.
Jake was nine years old with tousled brown hair with blue eyes as bright as a heavenly angel. For as long as Jake could remember he had lived within the walls of a poor orphanage. He was just one of ten children supported by what meager contributions the orphan home could obtain in a continuous struggle seeking donations from townsfolk.
There was very little to eat, but at Christmas time there always seemed to be a little more than usual to eat, the orphanage seemed a little warmer, and it was time for a little holiday enjoyment. But more than this, there was the Christmas orange!
Christmas was the only time of year that such a rare treat was provided and it was treasured by each child like no other food admiring it, feeling it, prizing it and slowly enjoying each juicy section. Truly, it was the light of each orphan’s Christmas and their best gift of the season. How joyful would be the moment when Jake received his orange!
Unknown to him, Jake had somehow managed to track a small amount of mud on his shoes through the front door of the orphanage, muddying the new carpet. He hadn’t even noticed. Now it was too late and there was nothing he could do to avoid punishment. The punishment was swift and unrelenting. Jake would not be allowed his Christmas orange! It was the only gift he would receive from the harsh world he lived in, yet after a year of waiting for his Christmas orange, is was to be denied him.
Tearfully, Jake pleaded that he be forgiven and promised never to track mud into the orphanage again, but to no avail. He felt hopeless and totally rejected. Jake cried into his pillow all that night and spent Christmas Day feeling empty and alone. He felt that the other children didn’t want to be with a boy who had been punished with such a cruel punishment. Perhaps they feared he would ruin their only day of happiness. Maybe, he reasoned, the gulf between him and his friends existed because they feared he would ask for a little of their oranges. Jake spent the day upstairs, alone, in the unheated dormitory. Huddled under his only blanket, he read about a family marooned on an island. Jake wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life on an isolated island, if he could only have a real family that cared about him.
Bedtime came, and worst of all, Jake couldn’t sleep. How could he say his prayers? How could there be a God in Heaven that would allow a little soul such as his, to suffer so much all by himself? Silently, he sobbed for the future of mankind that God might end the suffering in the world, both for himself and all others like him.
As he climbed back into bed from the cold, hard floor, a soft hand touched Jake’s shoulder, startling him momentarily and an object was silently placed in his hands. The giver disappeared into the darkness, leaving Jake with what, he did not immediately know!
Looking closely at it in the dim light, he saw that it looked like an orange! Not a regular orange, smooth and shiny, but a special orange, very special. Inside a patched together peal were the segments of nine other oranges, making one whole orange for Jake! The nine other children in the orphanage had each donated one segment of their own precious oranges to make a whole orange as a gift for Jake.
What is the true meaning of Christmas? “Sacrifice” is the answer.
Just thought I’d let you know I’m not dead. Just busily preparing for the Holiday! If I don’t get another chance to post, Happy holidays!
So while I still have to write my artist’s statement and do my math homework, I’ve spent the majority of this week just resting and hanging out with friends who I don’t see nearly enough. Through my hanging out experiences I have discovered some really awesome places in Salt Lake City. If you live nearby, you should definitely check these places out.
Sakura Sushi
Because who doesn’t love inexpensive sushi that doesn’t make you sick? Also it’s run by the most adorable staff to ever exist.
The Coffee Connection
I went there the other night after seeing flyers for it all over the art building. It’s a really cool coffee shop, and come to find out owned by an acquaintance of mine from the Art Department. The coffee there is great, and the atmosphere is even better.
Spoon Me
You should read the link, because I’m sure it will explain it better than I can. Spoon Me is a new frozen yogurt shop, ran by two Eco-conscious (and um, really hot) guys. Everything at spoon me has thought put into it, from its plastics made from starch and corn, to its green tea frozen yogurt that has an entire serving of green tea. The best part? the “small” is HUGE, and only 70 calories.
So go check these local places out. You won’t regret it, i promise!
It’s Monday morning and I have decided to return to the world of working and going to school. Depressing as it may be, the following things are keeping me in good spirits.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Do I have a Wii Yet? Because Oh. My. Gosh.
Heroes season premiere is TONIGHT. Featuring Sark. (that link cracked me up for some reason.)
The Photo Club is planning a trip to New York.
8 Months from now, I will be in Europe.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have reports to file.
Thursday I went on hiatus, I didn’t go to class, and I barely went to work. Today is Sunday and I still feel like I am on vacation.
While you may think that it is fun to feel like you’re on vacation in the middle of a semester, you are wrong. I am being completely irresponsible and I just don’t care. It’s puzzling that I care so much about not caring, because I still do nothing to remedy the situation. woe. is. me.
The irresponsibility is not only limited to my school work, I also have given up on being healthy in most ways. I haven’t gone to the gym, I keep eating cookies, and I bought 2 pairs of pants that I don’t need yesterday.
If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go take a nap. Hope you like the new look of the site.
As I’ve stated in the past, while I have fairly strong political beliefs, I don’t really like to be vocal about them… But this is just ridiculous.
That? is AWESOME.
I feel like I should post because its 9:53 AM and I have nothing better to do. (you know, like work) However I feel that I have nothing to blog about about, plenty to write about, but it’s not exactly internet appropriate… So we’ll just have to see where this post goes.
I’ve been looking at the journal that I had to keep for Joe’s class a lot, and it’s shown me how much I’ve grown this past little while. Growing sucks sometimes. Doing the ‘right thing’ sucks even more. Who would have known it could be so painful? I didn’t. I just hope I’m as strong as I think I am.
Apparently I’m not ready to start blogging yet.
